A fresh controversy has emerged at Lovely Professional University in Punjab after three female students featured in a university clarification video alleged that they were told what to say and that an edited version of their statements was posted online without their consent. The video had originally been released by the university as it attempted to counter unverified student rape allegations that triggered large protests at its Phagwara campus. The three women were introduced as residents of Room 504 in Girls’ Hostel 3, a room that had been mentioned in claims circulating among students and on social media.

In that first video, the students said no such incident had occurred in their room and asked other students and police to stop repeatedly approaching them. Hours later, however, they appeared in another purported recording with a different account.

LPU Students Allege Their Girls Hostel Video Was Scripted

The LPU students alleged that university authorities had instructed them about what to say in the original clarification video. One student claimed they had been asked to tell viewers that other students were troubling them. She further alleged that only part of the recording was retained before being uploaded to Instagram and that they had not agreed to its publication.

The women also stressed that they were not connected with the alleged sexual-assault incident and asked people to stop targeting them online. Hindustan Times reported that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the later videos. That qualification is important because the new allegations concern both how the first recording was produced and whether consent was obtained before publication.

What Did the Original University Video Say?

The first video was released through official LPU social-media channels amid growing unrest on campus. Registrar Monika Gulati introduced the three residents of Room 504 in Girls’ Hostel 3 and invited them to explain whether an alleged sexual assault had occurred in their room. The students said they had been living there for approximately two months and that no such incident had taken place in the room.

They also described being distressed because police and students were repeatedly approaching them after the room number began circulating publicly. The university used the statements to support its position that claims circulating about the alleged incident were false or fabricated. In a social-media post accompanying the video, Lovely Professional University explicitly said it had been published with the “express consent” of the students featured. The later claim that the video was posted without their knowledge therefore creates a direct factual dispute that has not yet been independently resolved.

Students Say They Were Told What to Say

In the later purported video, one of the three women alleged that the administration directed them to record particular statements. She said they followed those instructions and were unaware that only part of what they recorded would subsequently be published. The women also said the video resulted in abusive and vulgar comments being directed at them online.

Another student emphasised that the three women had nothing to do with the underlying student rape allegations.

Their position, as reported, was not that they possessed information proving or disproving whether an assault happened elsewhere on campus. Rather, they said that they were unrelated to the incident and that a particular room had been publicly associated with them. That distinction matters because a statement that nothing happened in Room 504 would not by itself settle whether an alleged offence occurred elsewhere.

What Are the Original Allegations at LPU?

The controversy began after students claimed that a female student had been sexually assaulted by a worker connected with the campus. According to DIG Jalandhar Range Naveen Singla, protesters told police that the alleged incident had occurred approximately three days earlier and that the student had subsequently left for home. Some protesters went further and claimed that the woman later died by suicide.

Those claims have not been independently established. The university rejected what it described as “false, baseless and fabricated” rumours and said certain elements were trying to disrupt the academic environment. Police nevertheless registered a rape case against an unidentified person based on information provided by protesting students and formed an SIT to investigate.

Police Are Investigating the Sexual-Assault Claim

Punjab Police have said the underlying allegations will be examined using digital and technical evidence. A seven-member Special Investigation Team has been formed, and five representatives of protesting students have also been included in the investigation process, according to DIG Naveen Singla. Police have been examining CCTV footage and areas of the hostel relevant to the complaint.

The existence of an FIR means police are formally investigating the allegation. It does not establish that an offence occurred or identify a person responsible. Likewise, the university’s denial does not end the investigation. The competing accounts will ultimately need to be assessed against CCTV footage, statements, digital evidence and any other material collected by investigators.

Suicide Claim Requires Separate Caution

One of the most important points in the ongoing controversy concerns reports of a student death.

DIG Singla separately confirmed that a female student from Telangana studying at the university had died by suicide roughly 15 days before the protests. Police had carried out inquest proceedings after recording statements from her family.

That confirmed death should not automatically be linked to the newer sexual-assault allegation.

Students have raised questions about whether there was any connection, but police have said they would examine additional information if protesters provide evidence suggesting foul play.

Until investigators establish a link, reporting the earlier death as the confirmed consequence of the alleged assault would be inaccurate.

Girls Hostel Room Became Focus of Online Claims

The girls hostel controversy illustrates one of the risks created when unverified information spreads rapidly during a campus crisis.

Room numbers and alleged locations began circulating before investigators had publicly established where an offence may have taken place.

The three women featured in the clarification video then became targets of unwanted attention despite saying they had no connection with the alleged incident.

Their later appeal was essentially for their identities and room to be separated from the wider controversy.

This is especially significant in cases involving sexual-assault allegations because publishing information that could identify a survivor or uninvolved students can cause additional harm.

University Suspends Classes and Postpones Exams

Following the unrest, LPU suspended regular classes for 10 days beginning September 28. Mid-term examinations were also postponed until further notice. Students were permitted to travel home after consulting parents or guardians, while those remaining on campus were advised to stay in their hostels and avoid unnecessary movement. The academic shutdown gives investigators and university authorities time to stabilise conditions while the competing claims are examined.

Why the New Video Changes the Controversy

The latest account from the LPU students does not prove the original sexual-assault allegation. What it does is complicate one of the university’s principal public responses. The first video had been presented as direct testimony from students living in the room associated with online claims.

If the women’s later account is authentic, questions arise about how their statements were obtained, how the footage was edited and whether permission was given before publication. At the same time, their later video still does not establish that an assault occurred in that room or elsewhere. Both questions require separate evidence.

What Is Confirmed and What Remains Unverified?

Several elements can currently be separated clearly. Confirmed developments include:

• Major protests took place at the campus.
• Police registered a rape case against an unidentified person.
• An SIT has been constituted.
• The university released a video featuring three women from Room 504.
• The university publicly said the video was shared with their consent.
• Classes have been suspended and examinations postponed.

Disputed or unverified claims include:

• Whether the alleged rape occurred as described by protesters.
• Whether the alleged victim later died by suicide.
• Whether the original clarification video was scripted.
• Whether the students consented to its publication.
• Whether the room publicly identified was actually connected with an alleged offence.

This distinction is essential when covering student rape allegations, particularly while police are still collecting evidence.

Police Probe Now Carries Greater Importance

The video dispute has added another layer to a case that was already difficult to separate from rumour and viral social-media claims. Investigators now need to establish not only what happened in the alleged assault but also whether evidence exists to support claims concerning how the university responded. For the three women featured in the video, the immediate message is clearer: they say they have no connection with the alleged incident and want the online targeting to stop.

For everyone else, the most reliable position remains to wait for evidence from the formal investigation rather than treating either viral videos or institutional statements as a final determination. The latest claims from LPU students raise legitimate questions about the university’s clarification video, but they do not resolve the original allegations. Until the SIT establishes the facts, the sexual-assault claim, the disputed girls hostel location and the controversy over the students’ consent all remain matters requiring independent verification.

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